Rotary Cutter Blade tip speed

[Brads 1715]

So I'm looking to buy a rotary cutter/ bush hog. There is all kinds of brands and options out there. I have a ford 1715 that has 27hp and 23pto horsepower. I'm being informed(by the salesperson) that a 5 foot cutter is the largest size this tractor can handle. Im good with a 5 footer. My question is about tip speed. Does a cutter with 16000 tip speed have more cutting ability vs a cutter with 13000 tip speed? I'm not worried about the quality of the cut, im not using it for my yard. Its going to be used in brush, and tall grass. I want a cutter that does its job without overworking the tractor. So maybe what I'm asking is which cutter has the most torque to power through some hard cutting? A high tip speed or a low tip speed?

 

[number9L]

I am a new tractor owner, but when I was asking questions on the forums I was told to get over 15K tip speed for both rotary cutter and finish mower.

I'd think that with the higher tip speeds, the inertia of the blades spinning that fast would have a less tendency to bog down and power on through when you hit larger things.

...

 

[Hollow]

Higher blade tip speed means more contact times per second. Which when cutting brush that means the blade will be cutting through less vegetation for each rotation. And when mowing fields you might not have to run the tractor at such high rpm's. I run a Bushhog 286 behind my tractor and unless I'm in really thick grass I usually run it 400 rpm's under the 540 mark. It uses much less diesel that way!

 

[MHarryE]

Higher tip speeds result in more energy but also give a sharper cut. Think of a blade of grass, piece of brush, etc. whack it slowly and the piece being cut will bend over slightly as its being sheared off. Hit it fast and there is little bending as the blade slices through. Lower engine speed may reduce your fuel consumption depending on your tractor and its power plus ability to hold that speed, but the cutters are rated at PTO speed for a reason - ability to do the cutting job most customers want.

 

[leonz]

I dont have my hand on your wallet BUT.


I think your way underpowered for a five footer for sure.

The not so golden rule is 5 horsepower per foot with a rotary cutter
or flail mower.

With a four footer you may have 7 horse power to run the tractor.

I would ask if you could test mow with a five footer they
can give you to use.

You do know that the rotary cutter blades are ment to be ground with a dull edge dont you?

A rotary cutter only presents half its cutting width to the brush to be mowed with the
following blade always trailing BTW.

ANY rotary cutter or brush/grass flail mower will over work your tractor unless its a four footer.

 

[PandDLong]

I ran a 5 foot cutter with my JD 850, which had a little less HP than the OP's tractor, and I was satisfied with the performance. There are a few factors that help determine how many HP you need for the cutter. For me, I was only cutting grass and weeds - no bushes or saplings, I'm on the prairie - no hills to climb, and I was willing to slow down and take narrower cuts when the grass got thick and heavy. For me, the extra foot practically covered my tracks so I could mow close to a fence line and I could cover ground faster when the grass was thinner and/or dry - which was most of the time.

The specifics of,your needs will either fit a 5 footer or you'll need to drop down a size.

 

[TomSeller]

My opinion is that it depends on how thick the grass is and how thick the brush stems are. If this is tall but not thick grass and not big stems on the brush, you should do fine. Otherwise you might be in low, low gear on your first pass. The next year it will be easier, particularly if you don't let the grass grow full height before you mow. The brush should be less of a concern.

 

[dirt ditch]

My JD is 27hp / 24pto and it runs a 5' just fine. I also run it 400-500rpm lower than the 540 mark. Does not matter, 540 or slower I mow in L3 of a 2 range gear box with the same results.

 

[RoyJackson]

I dont have my hand on your wallet BUT.


I think your way underpowered for a five footer for sure.

Not really...the 5 HP per foot of width is a very tenuous guideline. My first tractor was a Deere 670 with 17 PTO HP. I ran a 60" Landpride cutter behind that. Slow going and some partial width passes, but it did a fine job. My second tractor, a Deere 790 with 24 PTO HP and the same cutter did great...very little bogging through heavy brush and quite a few saplings.

 

[Creamer]

My Ford 1710 amazes me at how well it handles the 60" Bushhog Squealer I have. I cruise through grass, clover, and weeds taller than the tractor with not much problem. It is a good load for the tractor but it is not overworking it. When I get into saplings that I use the loader to knock over I slow down a bit but part of that is just so i make sure I can see and don't get into rocks, mounds, etc.

Your 1715 should handle it fine. Tip speed - definitely agree with the above 15,000 recommendation.